The Joining
by Marxbros
Summary: ~Story On Hold~ To be continued TBA ~~ Anck-su-namun's Story. At the end of TMR, Anck-su-namun remembers her current and past lives, and explains how she became the woman that she is. R
1. Part I

This takes place at the end of The Mummy Returns (so

  
This takes place at the end of The Mummy Returns (so...spoilers!). It begins with the reincarnation of Anuk Su Namun speaking in 1932.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
**Part I**  
  
  
So I ran.   
  
Oh, what a coward I was. What an incredible coward. The minute our love was put to the test, I betrayed him. Selfishly. Afraid. I berated herself as my body moved forward, away from him, away from Nefertiti and her husband, away from Imhotep, my only real love. As the pyramid collapsed around me, so did the meaning I had striven so mightily to give to my life.   
  
And as I lost my balance, saw myself falling in slow motion into the pit of scarabs, the story of how I got here flashed through me. It came back, in those last few seconds, with bitter irony. And as the insects began to eat away at my flesh, although my body reacted in fear, in my mind I was calm. Here, finally, was peace.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
I had known, deep inside me, since I was a tiny child, that I was different from the people around me, that I knew things that other people did not. I had vaguely menacing dreams, visions of hieroglyphics come to life, the symbols moving and churning on the wall, marching, quivering, trying to tell me something. I never understood them, these constant reminders that I was different, that there was something inside of me. I was isolated, afraid of myself.   
  
I never knew when I understood, when I came to realize the truth of my past. But I came to know that my life was guided by a force stronger than myself. As the memories came back to me– bitter memories of my past, my previous life–I understood that I was fated to relive them, begin the cycle again, bring my lost love to life again. I had been Anuk Su Namun, a realization I experienced when I began to read the hieroglyphics in my dreams–suddenly, the dreams I had struggled with for fifteen years began to make sense. I understood their message. And I accepted my fate–her fate. My body was the vessel for this mistress, this Ancient Egyptian woman. By allowing this woman to have her body back, I would no longer dream, no longer fear sleep, no longer feel isolated, alone, no longer have no understanding of myself. If I gave up, allowed this Egyptian woman to possess me, I could have peace.   
  
So I sought out the head of the British Museum, told him my dreams. He understood, wanted to use her, use me, to awaken Imhotep and gain power, control of the world. He wanted it for selfish reasons, but I did it for myself, for peace. I would no longer be a divided self, confused and unaware of the darker side of me, the evil that lurked in my soul, my spirit. All this time she, the Egyptian woman in me, grew stronger and more powerful.   
  
Ever growing was the presence of Anuk Su Namun in myself. The dreams became more vivid. In them I had conversations with people in the past, conversations I began to remember when I woke. These messages from my darker side, from my past were what helped me find Imhotep. My mummy. My lover. The man who resurrected me twice, who would risk the wrath of his Gods for my love. My priest. My confessor. As we grew closer to finding him, I lost more and more of myself. I felt Anuk Su Namun's spirit becoming more powerful. The intensity of the love and the desire was frighteningly strong in this woman. I was losing herself to a dead woman, a women who needed to be reborn, needed to release this incredible intensity.   
  
Finally we found the body, the mummy, my past love. When we finally brought him to life, it was as though the pieces began to fit together. I began to see other parts of my previous life, parts I had not known before. Anuk Su Namun, this other part of me, became even stronger. No, I was not afraid of him–for this I had been born, this was my purpose. Here, in the remains of this man, was my future.   
  
And when Imhotep completed the spell, her soul was returned to my body. I was whole. There were no more strange dreams and I was no longer afraid. I accepted the woman I had been and the woman that I was.   
  
I experienced emotions more intense than any I had ever felt. The violent hate and love that grew inside of me frightened me. The range of emotions–fierce loyalty and love to terrible hatred and vengeance–made me afraid of my own self, as I had never been before. Yet these emotions were an undeniable part of me, more so than anything I had felt before. To be Anuk Su Namun completely was almost a revelation. I no longer repressed my feelings, or felt ashamed of them because I did not understand them. They frightened me, but I welcomed them. They were real. They came from my true past. And for once in my thirty two years I felt complete. The joining. My joining. The fusion of the two parts of my spirit.   
  
Suddenly, I understood why I was so full of anger, of love, of hate, of vengeance, of fierce tenderness. It was then that I remembered everything. The truth of my past life became clear to me. The abstract dreams focused. I remembered life 3,000 years ago as if it were yesterday. I saw the Ancient City of Thebes as it was long ago. Through my joining, I remembered, acutely and with glee, what my life had been–and who my enemies were.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Please review! (My first fanfic ever...be brutal).


	2. Part II

  
  
****Part II  
  
  
After Imhotep completed the spell, the first realization was that I truly recognized him. "Imhotep?" I asked in wonder, in joy. Although I had known who he was intellectually, and parts of me, the parts that remembered the past, loved him, emotionally I could not love him with all my heart. But after I remembered all that we had shared in the past, upon seeing him my heart filled with jubilation. I remembered how fiercely I had loved this man.  
  
And when we kissed, the taste of his mouth, his scent, his tongue were familiar and delicious. The memories came cascading back, rippling into the body which had already known them but could not remember.  
  
And two names sunk into my mind, surrounded by hate–Pharaoh and Nefertiti.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
I was the sixth child, the fourth daughter, born to a planter and his wife. I do not have many memories of my early childhood, for I only lived there until I was three or four years old.  
  
We lived on the banks of the Nile in a relatively small home. His name was Montuhotep, and he was brother to a lowly member of the Med-Jai. He was not a poor man, but planting never creates great wealth and we were almost always strapped for cash. He was fickle in how he spent the extra money we had. Some weeks he might buy my mother fancy clothes–other weeks we might have almost nothing to eat. Because he could not save his money and he knew not how to plan for the future, my birth was difficult for my family.   
  
My mother, Ubastet, named me Anuk Su Namun, which means "she who walks gently"*. Although she was a weak woman who was frightened of my father, she truly loved me. My few good memories of that time involve laying in her arms.  
  
My father, however, was not a gentle man, but rather a hot-tempered, often angry man. When I was four there was a famine. It was a terrible year for crops and many starved. It was clear that, as was often the case in Ancient Egypt, the youngest daughters would be sold to be servants in high ranking households.  
  
My older sister, Ankhmut, the fifth child of my parents, was six, and my father attempted to work out negotiations for us. We of course did not know what was going on, but I will always remember my mother those last few days: she cried and held us and kissed us and said her goodbyes. But when my father was around, she said nothing. Her weak soul became another thing for me to hate.  
  
It turned out that my uncle's position as a Med-Jai was a blessing for my father. Instead of selling us, he gave us to the royal household as gifts to the Pharaoh. My uncle presented us as a show of goodwill–two loyal servant girls. For despite our young ages, we were mature. We knew how to act, how to hold our heads up. Even at four I could be put to work at sewing or running errands in the palace.   
  
The Pharaoh, a young man then, was pleased with the gift, and my father's name was written down in one of the many books kept by his scribes. We were then led off to the servants quarters. I never saw my parents again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
I was a simple servant until I was thirteen. Do not be mislead by the word servant–we led very simple, yet easy, lives. It was the Jews and the Egyptian slaves who worked in the sun and built monuments and temples and statues, whose womenfolk worked night and day in the steaming kitchens. As gifts to the Pharaoh from a family member of the Med-Jai, and as women, we did not have to do strenuous labor. We served in the palace–we ran baths for the royal women, sewed skirts and tunics, served food at mealtimes, or polished the gold and silver plates on which the royalty ate. We wore simple tunics and simple black wigs. We were supposed to be background–unnoticed servants who all looked the same.  
  
My sister and I stuck together through those long, uncertain years. Having no parents and no one to watch us or care what happened to us made us hard. We became tough, guarded, savvy as to the workings of the palace. We learned to listen, pay attention to gossip. But most of that time was peaceful–Seti I, or my Pharaoh, was a stable and well-liked ruler. Battles were few. Most of the gossip was unsubstantiated–people who have nothing to do and no power will do anything they can to grasp it. But nonetheless, Ankhmut and I learned to be careful. We trusted no one but each other.  
  
We were so simple minded in those days. Even though we were savvy as to how to survive as servants, we never imagined that we could raise our station in life or be anything more than we were. I was naive. Our greatest wish was that at fifteen we would be chosen to be handmaidens to the oldest daughter, the Princess Nefertiti. Nefertiti was Seti's only daughter, although he had five sons. Although Seti would choose his successor, the son he wished to follow him, the brother Nefertiti married would become Pharaoh after his father. Blood lines passed through the oldest daughter. She was potentially the most powerful woman in Egypt.  
  
The Queen, or Great Wife Neferet, had named her well. Nefertiti meant "a beautiful woman comes," and indeed the Princess was lovely. Even at eight or nine years old she was exquisite, with filmy and beautiful fabric woven around her delicate body. She was a most prized possession by the Pharoah and she was given anything she desired. Her brothers adored her, for she was their only sister. Nefertiti had hundreds of handmaidens who pampered and played with her, and in turn were pampered and treated as her friends.   
  
It is not strange that I envied this girl.   
  
Four years older than the princess, I fervently wished that I would be pretty enough to be chosen. It may seem strange to you that I did not know my own beauty. I had been brought up as a nothing, a girl servant whose parents had abandoned her. Ankhmet and I made few, if any, friends. There was no one to tell us if we were beautiful, since we all looked so alike in our simple tunics and coarse wigs. So what happened when I was thirteen was a shock. And it changed my life forever.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
* Ok, I have NO IDEA if that is what Anuk Su Namun means, or if it means anything, but it sounded like the kind of name that Anuk's mother would have named her, and as a name for her it is very ironic.

*Ok, actually, someone mentioned in the reviews that her name means "She who comes from the God Amun."I don't know if this is true, but I am invoking artistic license here.

Which brings me to another point.Elementoar made some, I think rather rude, comments about how I was completely incorrect in my Egyptian history and facts.Yes, I was probably wrong, I am not an Ancient Egyptian scholar.But let me point out briefly that this is fanfiction for a movie called The Mummy Returns.It is clearly not historically accurate—it is about Mummies!--and although I changed a few things to make the story more realistic, I don't think that that comment was pertinent or particularly helpful, and I am not going to base my story on what would likely have happened in real life.The movie certainly did not, so neither am I.(Ok, enough, please enjoy the story!)


	3. Part III

This takes place at the end of The Mummy Returns (so

**Part III**  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A few times a year, the woman who was in charge of all the servants and handmaidens would come and look us over. She would be looking for new handmaidens for Nefertiti, or at least that is what we were told. This woman, Peshet, only came when some of Nefertiti's maidens were married off, often to members of the Med-Jai or wealthy merchants. At these times, no more than a few were needed to fill the vacant spots. Though not of high birth, these girls were valuable. They were given to sons or fathers of non royal, but influential families. They were symbols of alliances between the House of the Pharaoh and the house of loyal, high standing Egyptians. Wealthy and influential men desired them not only for their connection to the Pharaoh, but for their good upbringing and beauty.  
  
I was only thirteen, so I did not expect to be chosen yet to serve the nine year old Nefertiti. But Ankhmut was fifteen, just the right age, and she wanted so badly to be chosen. We both knew that she was not as pretty as most of the girls there. Still, she talked of it incessantly, and it became her favorite fantasy. Perhaps if she were picked, she could imagine that she was wanted and loved, truly chosen. She could forget the rejection of our parents and be worth more than she was.  
  
I was not mature enough to recognize what would be the end result of her devotion to a single dream. I knew everything about my station and the other servants, but I knew nothing about the larger world.  
  
Peshet came with several guards as well as Antef, one of Seti's many advisors. All of the servants were lined up, and Peshet and Antef examined us. They spoke about us as if we were not standing right there. They spoke of our hair, our skin, the way we carried ourselves, our bodies, our teeth, the color of our eyes. Things I had never truly considered became of utmost importance.  
  
They would argue over us. One girl, Ahmose, who was sixteen, attracted the attention of Antef. "This one will do nicely," I remember him saying, as he looked at her behind. I had never thought of what that might look like to a man.  
  
Peshet came up and looked at the girl's teeth, smelled her breath, felt her muscles. "This one is weak," was all she said. And suddenly Ahmose was embarrassed, mortified. But of what, we couldn't be sure.  
  
She picked two girls who I barely knew, both several years older than I, girls who had been waiting years to be handmaidens and were ecstatic. Now, finally, they might have a chance at a decent marriage and a new life.  
  
When she came to me, standing there, my eyes down shyly, she stopped. She looked into my eyes. I will never know what she saw there, but she stopped. "Antef," she motioned, walking around me as I stood there. I did not know what she wanted, the handmaidens were picked and I was too young to be moved from the servants quarters.  
  
"Take off your wig," she instructed, and with trembling hands I drew off the black, coarse hair. Underneath it was my natural glossy black hair, bound in twine, hanging down my back. She reached around my waist and pulled the loose fabric in, highlighting the immature curve of my hips. "Hmmm?" she asked Antef as he approached.  
  
I will never forget the look than came in his eyes. Later, I could only describe it as desire. Never had a man looked at me in such a way. I was a parentless nobody, abandoned at four years old. How could I be special?  
  
He leaned forward, and with a fingertip caressed my cheek, which was smooth.  
  
"What is your name?" Peshet asked, letting go of my tunic and coming to stand before me again.  
  
"Anuk Su Namun," I whispered, the (although I did not know it then) sensual sounds rolling off my tongue.  
  
"Is she untried?" Antef asked, looking at me hungrily.  
  
"Of course she is," Peshet said dismissively. "Can't you see how she's shaking?" And indeed I was. My entire life, the last nine years, had been relatively constant, known, safe. I knew what was expected of me and I gave it back. But I did not know what these people had in store for me.  
  
"We'll bring her down and show her to Haankhef," she said, tugging at my hand. "Come with me."  
  
I did not know what was happening. But I had learned to be obedient. I quietly followed her down magnificent golden hallways, through rooms with treasures I had never before beheld. These were parts of the palace I had never seen. And suddenly I realized that the world was much larger than I had thought it was.  
  
An important looking man with a large headdress sat in an ornate chair. He was writing, a sign of power and importance, while scribes stood behind his chair. I later learned that this was Hannkhef, Seti's chief advisor, second only to Imhotep, the Priest of the Dead.  
  
Peshet pushed me forward, towards this desk. I had never spoken directly with a man of his station. We were taught to act as the very walls, never speak to those above us. He looked at me casually.  
  
"For Seti," Peshet said.  
  
Hannkhef leaned forward in his chair. He looked me over. "How old is she?"  
  
Peshet tapped me. "About thirteen years," I said, unsure of what was expected of me.  
  
His eyes swept up and down my body, coming to a rest on my face. He nodded. "Where did you find her?" he asked.  
  
"She has been a servant here for many years," she answered.  
  
"Good. Seti will be pleased," he said, and returned to his writing. Peshet grabbed me and took me back through the maze of glorious hallways and back to the servants quarters.  
  
"Take your things," she said. "You will be moving to a new part of the palace and new things will be expected of you." I was scared out of my mind. But we had been carefully taught. Ask no questions. One thing I was sure: I was not going to be a handmaiden. This was something else, something different.  
  
Ankhmut was waiting for me. "Where did you go?" she asked, half out of worry, and half out of jealousy. She had not been chosen, and I, two years younger, had been selected for something possibly much better.  
  
"I don't know," I responded. I gathered up my few simple clothes and my few possessions: a necklace of my mother's, a doll made out of straw.  
  
"Hurry up," Peshet said impatiently. And then I realized. I would not be coming back here. I was starting a new life. And I would be losing my sister, who was all that I had in the world.  
  
"Ankhmut," I whispered, hugging her close. She hugged me back. I don't know if she realized that I was leaving for good. "I'm...I'm afraid," I whispered into her dark hair.  
  
She kissed me. Still, even in my departure, her jealousy predominated. "Lucky," she whispered.  
  
And with that Peshet took my arm and led me away. I would not see my sister again for eight years. And by then I would barely recognize the woman I had become.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
I have a question for chapter four that I hope some of you can answer (just post it in the reviews, or e-mail me at marxbros16@theglobe.com ) What would Egyptians, like the Med-Jai or servants, call the Pharaoh? For example, in the middle ages serfs would say 'my lord' or 'Sire' or things like that, but what would someone say to a Pharaoh? Thanks, if you can help.


	4. Part IV

The Joining 

  
**Part IV**  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Peshet led me to a second set of women's quarters, a place I had never known existed.  
  
"You are no longer a servant," she began, explaining my new role. "You are one of a select group of women who will serve the Pharaoh."  
  
Well, I had basically been serving him since I was four years old. I was confused, but I was so frightened that I could not open my mouth.  
  
"At first you will spend your time learning–the other girls will speak to you and explain what you must do. You must learn what is expected of you."   
  
Peshet paused and stopped, looking down at me. "You will begin to wear new clothes. You will have access to different parts of the palace. Your life will be very different."   
  
She was about to start walking again, but I think she could tell that I was about to cry. She stopped and cupped my face in her hands. Her face softened as she looked at me. Perhaps she was seeing herself, many years ago.  
  
"Little one, you must not cry. You will be doing your duty for the Pharaoh, like all of us." She wiped away a single tear that had slipped out of my eyes. "There will be other girls your age. It is an easier life than being an ordinary servant. You will be pampered and dressed in fine clothes. You will never have to worry again, because you are personally protected by Seti himself." She straightened. "Are you ready to do your duty?" I hesitated, wiped my face, and looked at her. I knew I had no choice.  
  
"Yes," I whispered. So she took my hand again and led me onward, toward my new life.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
In retrospect, I should have understood immediately what my new position was. I was, of course, a whore.  
  
Perhaps that is not accurate. I was one of about twelve other women who were the Pharaoh's personal women, his mistresses. We were not simple whores. We were the most beautiful women in Egypt.  
  
We were special, the chosen ones, almost treated as royalty by the women who served us. We were protected. No man was allowed to touch us.  
  
I later learned that Pharaoh prided himself on the women he could have. He believed that as the most powerful man in Egypt, and most of the known world, he should have the most beautiful and seductive women in the kingdom. His men were always on the look out for a woman worthy of joining his personal harem. As it turned out, no new addition had been made for over four years. Seti wanted a new woman. So I was her.  
  
But alas, at thirteen, I did not immediately understand what my new role was. Coming to accept my new position was difficult. At first I was shocked. I knew nothing about pleasing a man! And the other women were not especially forthcoming. At first they crooned and clucked over me like a child, as most of them were three to eight years older than I was. But soon they came to see me as competition. These women wanted the attention of Seti, wanted to be considered his favorite. That meant gifts, prettier clothes, a higher standing than the other women. But it also meant that when they were no longer beautiful they would be taken care of by the Pharaoh.  
  
Pharaoh's current favorite was a girl about five years older than I was. She was 18 years old and beautiful. She was cold and calculating and unkind to me. Not that I cared. I did not want to be competition. I wanted to be left alone.  
  
My coarse tunic and wig were discarded. My hair was naturally glossy, long, and black, so it was hung straight with golden beads. Like the other women my body was wrapped in short lengths of filmy fabric, and the parts of my body not covered were pained black and gold. Then gold jewelry was placed around my neck and wrists. I looked like a completely different person.   
  
The biggest shock were my quarters. I was given my own small room, with a fluffy bed and ornate furniture. This was a place that was completely mine. Here was privacy.  
  
Although I had all of these possessions, I had no real friends. Ankhmut was gone. I felt completely alone.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was the job of the older girls to teach me what the Pharaoh wanted and expected. And they did, mostly. It was explained what happened between a man and a woman. It was explained what positions the Pharaoh liked and where he liked to do them. They told me how to walk, how to tilt my head seductively. But since I had no contact with the Pharaoh it did not end up mattering.  
  
After a week of living in my new home, Peshet came to me while I was being dressed.  
  
"The Pharaoh will see you today. You must be perfect." She smoothed my hair and made sure the paint was on flawlessly. She led me out of the quarters, down a hall to two large doors. Two Med-Jai were guarding them.  
  
They opened the doors and Peshet motioned me forward. I walked hesitantly into the room. It was lavishly appointed. I did not see anyone, so I stopped and looked back at Peshet, who was standing a few yards behind me.  
  
"I'm over here," a voice said.  
  
I swung my head to my right, where a man was sitting in a lush chair. It only took me a second. I could not speak a word. I simply dropped to my knees and touched my forehead to the floor.  
  
"Pharaoh," I whispered.  
  
"Rise, rise," he said dismissively. I stood shakily. I must have appeared to him as exactly what I was. A scared girl.  
  
He looked me over.  
  
"She's thirteen?" he asked Peshet, who stood with her head bowed a few feet behind me.  
  
"Yes."  
  
He looked at me again.  
  
"She's pretty, but nothing more than a child," he said, disappointed.  
  
Peshet moved forward. "She will grow into a woman in time. Her beauty will expand as a flower blooms, my lord."  
  
He nodded. "Fine." And he turned back to his scrolls.  
  
Peshet led me back to my small room. I was filled with relief. He did not want me yet. And that gave me time to live, to prepare, to learn.  
  
I knew that I was alone, that no one would support me or help me. I knew I would have to fend for myself and grab for anything that I could. That day was the day I became an adult.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	5. Part V

Part V

**Part V**

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Pharaoh did not touch me until I was sixteen.It would have been perfectly acceptable for him to use me at thirteen, but he was not interested.Although I never admired or loved him, I was thankful that he did not enjoy such young girls.

In fact, he pretty much forgot my existence.He was not a lecherous man and enjoyed only one woman at a time.At this point, he was only interested in the favorite, Henutnofret, whom he did not even use that often.Because his wife Neferet was also his sister, following in Egyptian tradition, they hardly ever shared the same bed.To produce children, when it was her time of month, they would share a bed.But for most times of the year, they both willingly separated to be with their own lovers, and it was a happy arrangement.

Although people outside the palace would never know, it was not concealed inside the palace, and neither especially attempted to conceal it.Seti allowed his favorite lover of the moment free access in many of the rooms, while Neferet's lovers, more often than not strapping members of the Med-Jai, were led discreetly into her rooms after she had retired for the night.But they were a happy couple who got along very well.Neferet advised him in many matters, and both were content to be friends.

I learned this mostly from the other girls, who really had nothing better to talk about.But I had learned to listen and pick up on whatever I could.We, of course, could not have other lovers.We were forbidden to touch another man and men were forbidden to touch us.If one of his personal women was caught with another man they would both be sentenced to death.Betraying the Pharaoh was not a matter to be taken lightly.And making him seem a cuckold was, perhaps, even worse.

None of the women ever considered seeing another man.And most men were too frightened to come near us.When we walked through the halls they would ogle us, imagine what we looked like without our paint, have fantasies about what the Pharaoh would make us do behind closed doors.But they were too afraid to come close, scared that they would accidentally smudge our paint or be seen as too near to us by the Pharaoh.Pharaoh was a jealous man.He wanted to show us off as another way to assert his power and superiority.He wanted other men to want us and to admire him even more.So he was fanatical about seeing us near other men.That was, I learned later, the reason for the heavy paint.If he saw us and the paint was smudged, he would know we had been touched by another person.

And if he thought that, things could get very, very dangerous.

So we were careful.I never considered looking at another man.One was enough as far as I was concerned.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You may wonder what we did to pass the time.We could not read, no one knew how except the Priests, high ranking officials, and male members of the nobility.Often royal women could read, as I knew Nefertiti was being taught.But no one considered the fact that we might want to learn.I was fascinated by knowledge.I knew I was intelligent, but I would never have an opportunity to prove it.Some women were content to spend their lives eating and sleeping and bathing and primping themselves.That was not enough for me.

At first our chief occupation was dancing.At his nightly fancy and luxurious banquets, the Pharaoh would often request that his women come and dance for the assembled crowd.This would mean once or twice a week, and it was considered a treat.As usual we wore sheer fabric and danced seductively.I was taught early on how to do this.It was not hard, I simply moved my hips in time to the music.The Pharaoh loved to see the men admire our lithe bodies."They are mine," we could almost hear him saying."Don't you wish you were me?"

Other than dancing in a group for him once or twice a week, I never saw Seti.He was a busy man, and at the moment was only interested in Henutnofret. She went to great lengths to please him.She would wear her hair in the way he liked and would bring him special delicacies from the kitchens.I did not understand this until much later.Whether he used us or not, we all lived in the same quarters, had access to the same baths and servants, and were protected and safe.Why she would try to please the man who used her body without her permission and doomed her to the life of a whore I could not understand.

Later, I did.She wanted power.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seti did not want us just laying around and doing nothing all day.He thought that we would become fat with good food.So he demanded that we exercise daily.

This was no problem for me.I was a good athlete.I was quick and fast and an swift learner.The first exercise was dance.Tefenet, one of the women who watched over us and made sure we had the proper food and clothing, conducted types of dance lessons daily.Although they were hardly vigorous exercise, they got us off of our feet and gave us an activity.

But the best part was when, three times a week, Sheftu would come.She was the wife of a high ranking Med-Jai, a type of female warrior, skilled in all different types of weapons.She could use swords and short daggers and spears.Although we were not required to learn all of these weapons, Seti wanted us to stay fit and active and learn hand to hand combat with daggers.These were a special kind of daggers, with three sharp points made of gold, like mini-Tridents.

Most of the women were not interested in learning to use the weapons, and did so half-heartedly.I, however, was fascinated, and soon became Sheftu's favorite pupil.As I have said, I was quick and agile, and I learned the moves with frightening speed.Sheftu taught me things she did not attempt to teach the other women. She taught me how to flip my lithe body over itself, how to throw a dagger or a spear so that it could kill a man.Of course we were never expected to be in actual combat.We fought friendly matches, practicing our moves, displaying our skills.By my fifteenth year I could beat every woman that Sheftu had taught.

That is, every woman who would fight me.All did except for Henutnofret.

She had finished her training by the time I had arrived, and never joined in our matches.She watched us disdainfully or would leave, seeking out another form of amusement. As Seti's favorite, she had access to parts of the palace we did not dare go.

She was good–she too was small, and she made her moves with quick, precise movements.I only saw her fight two times.The first was when I saw her and Sheftu practicing.They did not know I was there, and I hid behind a pillar in the shadows.Henutnofret had excellent technique, but like me, Sheftu was more original.The match was good and I watched spell-bound.It was the best match I had ever witnessed.Most of the girls were slow to learn and did not make their moves quickly enough.But Sheftu and Henutnofret were almost evenly matched.In the end, however, Sheftu's creativity won out.In a quick move, she jabbed her trident into Henutnofret's, twisting them together.She then yanked her trident, pulling Henutnofret's arm.Off balance, Henutnofret wobbled, and Sheftu pushed her against the wall and aimed the trident in her free hand at Henutnofret's throat.

"Good.Your technique is excellent.But always remember that the best move is not the most complicated or difficult.The best move is the one that will catch your opponent off-guard."Sheftu removed the dagger from over Henutnofret's throat.Sweating, she patted her arm with a mentor's pride, and left the room.Alone, or at least thinking that she was alone, Henutnofret glowered.She turned, and in one swift movement threw her dagger into the heart of the statue of Seti's father in the front of the room.

I realized that she wanted to always be the best, be the favorite, be the most admired.That was why she wouldn't fight me.So I tucked that information away, into my mind, my body.I never knew when I could use the information I stored inside myself.But, a fighter to the bone, I knew to always remember my opponent's weaknesses.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	6. Part VI

Part VI

**Part VI**

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The second time I saw Henutnofret in a match was when I was sixteen.I had been in my new role for three years and for three years had practiced my skill.Pharaoh had never looked at me with anything more than passing interest, of which I was glad.

But that was about to change.

Pharaoh decreed a special treat for the court.He wanted his women to show off their skills in a series of friendly matches.The winner would be given a special award.Seti of course expected his favorite, Henutnofret, to win easily.He had seen her spar with Sheftu before, and was excited to see her half naked body glisten with sweat.

As the youngest of the women, I was not called forth right away.First, some of the older women fought easy, uninteresting matches.They too were beautiful in their skimpy clothes, but Seti wanted to see fights, not gentle sparring.So he called on Henutnofret.She walked out from behind the curtain glistening in her sexuality.She walked straight, smoothly, confidently, knowing that all the men in the room had their eyes on her.

I learned many things from her.

She bowed to Seti, her long black hair falling seductively around her face.She picked up the two tridents offered to her on a pillow by a servant.She turned and waited for her opponent.

Meketaten was 23, two years older than Henutnofret and seven years older than I.She walked out, without Henutnofret's confidence, and took her tridents.They squared off.Within minutes, Henutnofret had disarmed Meketaten and had her on the floor.There was ecstatic applause.Several other of the women came out to face her, and all, though varied in ability, were defeated handily by Henutnofret.

When Seti was about to confer with his advisors about who to give the trophy to, Peshet, who was watching from the side–her rightful place–spoke up.

"There is one you have not yet seen."

"Who?" Seti asked.

"Little Anuk Su Namun."

They still called me little, even though I was past sixteen years.It was because no other girls had been brought to join us since I had been brought.I was still the youngest.

"Well, bring her forward."He turned to Henutnofret."Can you take one more today?"

Cornered, she laughed, covering her nervousness."Of course, my lord."

"Anuk Su Namun," Haankhef announced, from his rightful place at Seti's left.I pulled my mask down tightly over my face, and then emerged from behind the curtain.Although I did not realize it, I looked as good as Henutnofret did.My body was muscled and athletic, and I gleamed through the gold paint that covered my body.

I strode up to the dias where Seti sat.I bowed my head."Pharaoh," I murmured.Stepping back, I took the gold tridents offered me by a servant.

Henutnofret made a show of pulling down her mask, mocking my seriousness.I had never been known to back down from a challenge.Although I had no desire to become Seti's favorite, I needed to prove to her that I was better.

She had treated me with disdain since my arrival.She had never been friendly, had never offered me advice.And, although I did not like to admit it to myself, I needed a friend when I first arrived.I have always been independent and strong, but inside I have been insecure and ashamed my entire life.I have the strength to survive almost anything, but inside I have always been the abandoned little girl.Henutnofret could have taught me, she could have comforted me.Instead, she became my enemy.And my enemies always pay.

The only part of her face that I could see through her gold mask were her eyes.As I looked into them I saw bits of awe and determination.But this I knew: Henutnofret's jealousy became my advantage.As we squared off, I saw a gleam of fear in her eyes.

"Begin," said Seti calmly.

A second later Henutnofret had lunged at me, almost catching me off-guard.But as I have said, I was quick, and I was able to block her attack.We moved furiously, covering the entire space, back and forth, back and forth as our weapons clanged.Sweat poured down our backs and shoulders, but we did not dare stop.Whick, whack, the metal on metal echoed through the room as we fought.We were perfectly matched in skill and determination.

Through the corner of my eye I could see the rapt expressions on the audience–we were indeed as good as I had thought.

Henutnofret was fighting like a mad woman, willing to win at any costs.As our weapons clanged I looked into her smooth, eerie gold mask, a mask identical to my own.She viciously attacked, pushing me back across the floor.In a fatal move, she grabbed my wrist and knocked my weapon from my right hand.It hit the floor with a clash and slid across the floor, behind me.There was a gasp from the crowd.She pulled her mask up so it rested on her dark hair.A smirk crossed her face.She assumed she was about to finish me off.I too pushed my mask up, looking into her face, as though I was about to surrender.Quicker than lightning, I stuck my weapon through the band in my skirt, against my thigh so it would move with my body.Smirking back into her face, I flipped backwards, over myself three times, landing easily next to my weapon.I picked it up again, and resumed my opening stance.

She was shocked and embarrassed, and she advanced toward me through the applause.She had not been taught how to flip, and I could see her anger.Her face was determined.

"You will not win this match today, little Anuk," she hissed when we were close.

I ignored her and continued to fight, although my arms were tiring.As I grew tired, I grew slower.In a decisive move, as I lunged toward her, she put her foot underneath me so that I tripped.I fell onto my stomach.I flipped over quickly onto my back, but she was over me, holding a trident to my throat.The match was over.I had lost.But really, it was a victory.

No woman had come close to beating Henutnofret in years.And I had almost done it.For the show she gave me her hand to help me up.I took it.Through loud and excited applause we moved forward toward Seti.

"Anuk Su Namun has proved her skill here today, although she lost the match.The winner, still the best of all my talented women, is Henutnofret."The crowd applauded.

I did not know it, but standing on Seti's right was the Preist of the Dead, Imhotep, his chief advisor.As I was uninterested in men I barely noticed him.But he noticed me.

"You fought well, Anuk Su Namun," Seti said to me, looking hard at me as he handed Henutnofret her trophy.

That very night, for the first time, I was summoned to his bed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	7. Part VII

Part VII

****

**Part VII**

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The experience was not as bad as I had thought it would be.Really.I was frightened, but the pain was what I was told to expect.I was sixteen, after all, and he tried his best not to hurt me.

But I hated him with a passion.The hate grew on me slowly, like a disease, filling my entire body with anger.I did not realize how much I hated him until I returned to my chambers the next morning, when the girls were still sleeping, and I realized that my hands were shaking.

Yes, it was his right to have me.But I did not want to be had.It did not matter if the experience was physically painful or not.I resented him because he made me a whore.

What made it worse was when he collapsed on top of me, moaning, and then whispered in my ear, "you were wonderful."I was wonderful?What had I done but lay there while he used me?It was as though he did not even acknowledge that I was more than a body.

I smoldered in resentment for three days, while Seti gave my body time to repair (I was sore, Peshet explained).Peshet understood women much better than Seti did and knew that I needed time to adjust.She took care of me, which made me grateful, relieved, and, surprisingly, touched.I had thought Peshet a cold woman, but she was not so cruel as she seemed.

But perhaps it was not only anger.I was physically and emotionally in pain.And I wanted so badly for someone to truly love me and care for me–as my mother did, or perhaps as Ankhmut did–that when Seti dismissed me in the early hours of the dawn it was like a blow to the face.I gathered up my clothes and dressed quietly, and I watched him from the corner of the room go back to sleep.He slept soundly, fearlessly, deep breaths that, in an odd way, reminded me of my father when he slept.Perhaps if he had talked to me, asked me questions, I would have felt better.But he was attracted to my body, and that was all that he wanted.

I returned to our rooms as the sun was rising.Peshet welcomed me in and hugged me.

"My Little Anuk," she said, with surprising tenderness.Then she led me to my room, although I knew perfectly well where it was."Sleep," was all that she said, and I gladly obliged.But first there was something that I had to do.I stripped off the clothes I had worn to see Seti.Then, pouring water on an old tunic, I quickly washed my body in the rising sunlight.I rubbed my skin until it felt raw and the skin became pink.Then, finally, as the girls began to arise in the other rooms, I drew on clean robes and fell into my bed.As I lay there, clean and quiet, I began to cry.

They were soft cries–even then I had almost perfect control over myself–but the fat, salty tears rolled down my cheeks.The pillow became soaked under my head, but I did not move, feeling the warm wetness as I rubbed my hand gropingly across my face.I cried myself to sleep, for the first time since I had arrived there.I cried until there was nothing left–no remorse, no pain.I knew what I was to expect for the rest of my life.A life that would be pointless and empty.

I would be a treasured whore, a servant to Seti's every desire.I would be used without regard to me feelings, my mind, my life.I would have no real friends.I would have no human connections.I would never see my mother or siblings again.When I was no longer beautiful, I would be discarded like an old curtain, pushed off to the side, out of the way, to live the rest of my days in shunned peace.I would never have access to knowledge.I knew I would not be beautiful or seductive forever.So I cried, the sloppy, demeaning knowledge of the rest of my life spilling out from inside of me.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, when I awoke, my exhaustion dissipating, I sat alone in my room for a long time.I came to some conclusions, conclusions that would guide the rest of my life.The only way to make my life worth living was to make Seti value me over anything else.I would seduce him, entice him, tantalize him.If I could control him, then I would never be pushed aside.I could be taught to read, could be taught the secrets of the Med-Jai, could be taught anything that I wanted to learn.Once I could control Seti I need never be afraid.

And I knew that I could control him.He was all powerful, but in a time of peace his leadership and bravery were not questioned, and it was true that he was rather simple-minded and jovial.It seemed that all he wanted was a good time–his lavish banquets and contests were proof of that.

And so it was then that I became wise.And I knew what I had to do.Although I did not want to control him through seduction, that was how I was going to do it.It was the only way.The only way for a woman to have power in this world.

And, if I was to accomplish my goals–Henutnofret had to go.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Although Seti returned to Henutnofret, it was clear that he wanted me again.Henutnofret herself must have sensed this.Two days after my encounter with Seti she walked into my room and drew the curtain shut behind her.I was frozen.I did not want to talk with her now, now that I was just becoming acquainted with the new me, the women in me, the woman who would control the Pharaoh.The heartless woman who would do anything for Seti's favor.

She stood there, motionless, her black hair falling across her face, shadowed.She took a step forward and stopped.I stayed still, sitting cross-legged on the divan, looking down into my lap.

"We have not been friends, Anuk."She broke the silence.

I said nothing.I had just made the decision to bring her down, and I had just stolen the Pharaoh away from her.She did not come to hear me talk, she wanted to talk to me.

She paused and looked around my room.I could see the tension in her jaw, the way she held herself.She was nervous, unhappy.

"I know that you may have resented me," she began, pacing forward into the room.She slowly turned, pausing, carefully considering her words."But you know that I did what I had to do."

She looked up at me, and I couldn't turn away from that gaze.I stared back.

And we understood each other.

She stood, crossing her arms over her chest, her gaze darkening.She smiled bitterly."And you will do what you have to do."

Again I couldn't turn away.She knew that Seti was mine to use, now, and that I understood what was necessary.And she knew her own defeat.Because if I hadn't realized my power, she might have had a chance.But I knew that I had Seti in my hand, and she knew it too.And we faced each other, the grim understanding stagnating the air between us.

She wouldn't humble herself before me, not yet.But I could see the tension in her jaw, her face.She was afraid of me.And for the first time I experienced what it was to have power.

I stood up.For the first time, I acted in my new role, with the power suddenly thrust into my hands."Do not worry, Henutnofret," I said innocently, looking her straight in her eyes."You will be provided for."

She stared at me, and she knew that she was also in the palm of my hand.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


End file.
